An Advance Health Directive (AHD) is a legal document that enables you to make decisions about the treatment you would want (or not want) to receive if you became sick or injured and were incapable of communicating your wishes.
Last updated: 4 July 2024 Your browser does not support the audio element.An Advance Health Directive is an important way of letting people know your values and preferences about your healthcare and treatment, should you become seriously ill or injured and not able to make decisions.
An AHD would only come into effect if it applied to the treatment you required and only if you were unable to make reasoned judgements about a treatment decision at the time that it was required. In short, if you required treatment but were unable to communicate your wishes, your AHD would become your voice.
The term 'treatment' includes medical, surgical and dental treatments, including palliative care and life-sustaining measures. You cannot use an AHD to formally register your interest in organ and tissue donation and you cannot include instructions relating to Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) in this document.
It recommended that you discuss treatment decisions with your doctor before completing your AHD. Your doctor and health professionals can provide advice about treatment options and how they might affect you.
Detailed information about Advance Health Directives can be found on the Department of Health's website - including a consumer's guide to Advance Health Directives.